Galaxy

ESO astronomers have used the Very Large Telescope’s (VLT) Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument to make detailed observations of a cosmic collision, revealing secrets as to how star-forming gas was ripped out of a distant spiral galaxy. The findings help shed light on the mystery of how star formation ceases in galaxy clusters. Read More

A star accompanying a rare type of supernova in close orbit has been discovered by astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Confirming a long-held theory that the explosion originated in a binary star arrangement, observations verify that the companion star precipitated the destruction of the aging primary star by drawing off mass until its core collapsed and triggered a supernova event. Read More

A new study has revealed that our Milky Way is a member of a group of local galaxies interconnected within a larger supercluster made up of a myriad of other galaxies, all interlinked within a tenuous web of filaments many millions of light years long. Dubbed "Laniakea" (Hawaiian for "immense sky") by astronomers working at the National Science Foundation’s (NSF's) Green Bank Telescope (GBT) and others around the world, this research defines hitherto unknown boundaries and connections in our corner of the universe. Read More

An international team of astronomers has used a range of telescopes including the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to observe a pair of galaxies colliding at a time when the universe was just half its current age. The project made use of a gravitational magnifying glass created by the gravity of a galaxy between Earth and the subject, and required observations in both visible and infrared light. Read More

NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer telescopes have been used to examine a distant elliptical galaxy known as Sparky. The observations represent the first glimpse at the earliest stages of massive galaxy construction, shedding light on an area of frenzied star production in the early universe. Read More

We’ve known for a while now that Barnes & Noble was set to partner with Samsung to release a Nook branded version of its 7-inch Galaxy Tab 4 slate, but the company has tied things off nicely today, officially launching the tablet at an event in New York. The hardware here is familiar, but the company is branding the release as the first full-featured Android tablet optimized for readers. Read More

As the US prepares for 4th of July fireworks here on Earth, a nearby spiral galaxy similar to our Milky Way is putting on a pyrotechnics display of its own. The galaxy, NGC 4258 (also known as Messier 106 or M 106), is ejecting gas and high-energy particles in a spectacular display of power that is rippling across the face of the galaxy with shock waves of stellar energy. Read More

In preparation for the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) radio telescope project set to start construction in 2018, the CSIRO’s recently unveiled Australia SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope array has been used to demonstrate and prove the technology involved. With the images it has captured so far, it has also shown its ability to operate as a fully-fledged radio telescope in its own right. Read More

A fresh analysis of data collected by NASA's WISE telescope has cast doubt on the widely accepted unified model for the composition of black holes. The study examined 170,000 supermassive black holes, and will require scientists to present new theories on the structure of these stellar giants. Read More

Researchers at the University of Texas have identified a star that formed in the same star cluster as our Sun. Dubbed HD 162826, the star is 15 percent more massive than the Sun and resides 110 light-years away. It's hoped the discovery of this "sibling" will help us understand more about where and how the solar system originated, and might also point us to the best candidates for finding extraterrestrial life. Read More